“BTS have all served in the military” ... MMA chief to tighten special-exemption criteria to “unprecedented” levels after soccer team boasts of exemptions

[Financial News] Amid controversy over some members of the national soccer team continuing to make inappropriate remarks about military-service exemptions after winning gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Hong So-young, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, expressed regret in a public forum and signaled her intention to reform the special-service system.
At a National Assembly Defense Committee audit held at the Government Complex Daejeon on the 12th, Hong said, “As commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, I find some players’ inappropriate remarks deeply regrettable. I take seriously the sense of loss felt by young people currently serving in the military and the public’s calls for improvements to the system.”
The controversy began shortly after the men’s national soccer team won gold at the Asian Games. Captain Lee Gi-hyeok held up the medal and shouted, “I don’t have to serve in the military!” Yang Min-hyeok said, in effect, that he had played with only one reward in mind—exemption from military service—rather than medals or trophies. Park Seung-su sparked public outrage by posting on social media a photo of himself wearing a “military discharge cap” in the locker room. Under current law, Asian Games gold medalists can be assigned as arts and sports personnel instead of serving on active duty, and fulfill their military service through activities in their specialty fields and volunteer work over 34 months.
That day, Hong made clear that she agreed with the Ministry of National Defense’s policy of gradually reducing the special-service program for arts and sports personnel with a view to abolishing it in the long term. By contrast, Hong praised BTS, whose members have all completed their enlistment, saying that they had “greatly contributed to improving fairness and public trust by fulfilling their military-service obligations.”
In its work report to the parliamentary audit that day, the Military Manpower Administration announced a plan to significantly tighten the criteria for assignment as arts and sports personnel. For domestic competitions, which accounted for at least 86% of those assigned over the past five years, it will consolidate the traditional-competition categories and reduce the number eligible for assignment at each competition from two or three to one. For international arts competitions, it will also raise the qualifying standard from “second place or higher” to “first place,” and substantially narrow the list of eligible competitions to focus on prestigious events. In addition, it plans to revise the eligibility criteria for the sports personnel program to reflect social acceptability, based on the findings of policy research currently underway.
Hong added, “With the Asian Games approaching, there were aspects that made it difficult to act immediately, given concerns such as the potential impact on team morale. Once the research findings are available, we will consult with the relevant ministries and gather public opinion before drawing up a reasonable plan for improvement.”
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter